With iOS 18, Apple changed the way users share their contacts with third-party apps. A seemingly subtle change, but one that could have serious consequences for social app developers looking for rapid growth.
Until now, when an application requested access to a user’s contacts on iPhone, the user had only two choices: share everything or nothing at all. If he accepted, the developer recovered the entire address book, with names, numbers and emails.
This “contact sync” played an essential role in the rise of apps like Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat. By quickly connecting users with their friends, it allowed them to build a dense network from the start and initiate viral growth.
iOS 18 gives users more control
But in iOS 18, things change. From now on, even if they agree to share their contacts, the user can choose which ones individually, instead of giving everything away as a whole. A change motivated by confidentiality reasons according to Apple, but which could penalize newcomers.
Some developers like Nikita Bier, creator of several viral apps, are alarmed. According to him, this additional friction will cause contact sharing to drop, making it much more difficult for a new app to quickly create a dense network of users, crucial to breaking through.
An advantage for the already established giants?
Apple assures that this change will not harm developers. But for some, it’s a low blow intended to advantage its own services like iMessage, which does not need to ask permission to access contacts, unlike third-party apps like WhatsApp or Signal.
As a result, friend-based social apps could become an endangered species on the App Store, replaced by apps like TikTok that rely on likes rather than network, or apps powered by AI and other algorithms.
This debate illustrates the immense power of “gatekeepers” like Apple, whose slightest changes can disrupt an entire ecosystem. And the difficulty of finding a balance between privacy protection and competitive dynamism. A complex equation, which regulators will also have to tackle.
